A convoy of military vehicles rolled through Williamston Wednesday afternoon at approximately 4:45 as part of the Military Vehicle Preservation Association convoy recreating a trip from Washington DC to SanDiego made in 1920.
The original exercise was performed shortly after World War I to furthur the Army’s understanding of the practicality of motorized transport. The 3,300 mile trip took 116 days to complete.
The Military Vehicle Preservation Association is conducting a 95th Anniversary Convoy with as many as 65 Historic Military Vehicles (HMVs) that will retrace the original 1920 Transcontinental Motor Convoy route – along the Bankhead Highway.
The MVPA’s 2015 Bankhead Convoy (“BH-15”) launched from Washington, DC on Saturday, Sept. 19 and will arrive in San Diego, CA on Sat., Oct. 17.
Approximately 30-40 vehicles, including motorcycles, jeeps and cargo trucks, participated in the event when it came through Williamston.
The MVPA convoy also included the “Spirit of 45” bus which which is used by the nonprofit group to promote and preserve the legacy of men and women of the Greatest Generation so that their example of personal courage, shared sacrifice, “can-do” attitude and sevice to community can insire Americans to come togehter to meet historic challenges of our era.
Williamston Police and Anderson County Sheriff’s Deputies also supported the convoy as it traveled through the area.
From Williamston the convoy will go to Hwy. 29, then through Anderson to the balloon launch field near the Civic Center of Anderson. On Thursday, the convoy will travel south on US Hwy. 29 to Atlanta as it did in 1920.
